Former Labor leader and now NSW leader of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party Mark Latham announced a policy to ban people from identifying as transgender.

Latham announced the proposal on Sunday on his Facebook page, saying the plan would “avoid abuse of the school education system and official government documentation.”

The policy would see One Nation attempt to restrict the ability to identify as trans to those with “specialist medical evidence and support to change their gender.”

“We reject the Leftist notion of ‘gender fluidity’ and the confusion it is causing, especially among young people in NSW schools,” Latham said.

“In reality, with very few exceptions, people are born either male or female. To move away from this biological truth later in life is a serious matter requiring specialist medical evidence.

“It should not happen because of Leftist ideology, individual whims or novelty factors,” the former Sky News commentator said.

“One Nation does not believe that gender changes should be self-identified on NSW Government forms, permits and licences,” he added, even though changing your gender in New South Wales requires comprehensive supporting documentation.

The Service NSW website states that a trans person seeking to update the gender on their birth certificate, they would have to apply and include “2 statutory declarations completed by 2 different medical practitioners and witnessed by an authorised witness” as well as “3 certified forms of your identification, including photo identification.”

An applicant would also need to have “undergone a sex affirmation procedure.”

LGBTI activist Sally Rugg pointed this out to Latham on Twitter, tweeting, “Transgender people already require comprehensive medical documentation to apply for new documents, AND extremely expensive surgery. Kids under 18 need parental permission on top of the above.”

“I thought you were all about parents rights? Your policy is a moronic dog whistle,” Rugg said.

Using a kids pronouns is not a legal gender change, which in NSW you can’t do without having surgery, it’s a small and harmless step that a school and community can take to drastically improve that kid’s safety and well-being. Why are you picking on these already vulnerable kids?

Latham said that schools “have ventured into the world of mental health assessment and radical gender theory”, and that his policy would address what he believes is the “real mental health issue” among trans youth, that treating trans kids with humanity is “bringing confusion and harm to young people by telling them gender is ‘socially constructed’ and ‘fluid’.”

At this year’s Gay and Lesbian Outrageous, Ridiculous, and Ignorant Awards (GLORIA) , Latham was nominated for comments made during the marriage equality campaign about an LGBTI “reign of terror”, in an opinion piece where he said he feared people who did not “worship at the altar of homosexuality and gender fluidity” would be “run out of town”.

About the AuthorLaurence Barber

Laurence is Star Observer's Arts & Culture Writer and Digital Co-ordinator. His background is in film, television and arts criticism with a focus on LGBTI representation in media. For jokes, commentary and actress GIFs, you can follow him on Twitter @bortlb.